Michelle Palma, executive vice president of sales for North America for Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, likes to use a certain analogy when speaking about the rivers that flow through a country.
“When you take an ocean cruise, you travel to the heart of the country, but when you take a river cruise, you travel its arteries,” she said from the main stage of the fourth annual ASTA River Cruise Expo, an event that took place in Vienna in March, produced by the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).
At the event, Uniworld was joined by Amadeus River Cruises, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Emerald Cruises, Riverside Luxury Cruises, Riviera Travel, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Tauck and Viking, which collectively brought a total of 17 ships to the shores of the Danube River. Travel advisors spent four days touring ships and learning the latest news in the river cruise space.
Based on what we learned at the expo, here are the trends we are keeping an eye on.
AmaWaterways debuted in Colombia this year with AmaMagdalena.
Credit: Credit: 2025 AmaWaterwaysNew Players, Destinations and Ships on the Rivers
Celebrity Cruises made waves (no pun intended) earlier this year when it announced an expansion into river cruising with a new Celebrity River Cruises division — a move that is expected to attract loyal ocean cruisers to the waterways.
Meanwhile, legacy players are continuing to refresh their own fleets and reinvent themselves. AmaWaterways will release several new ships over the next couple of years and recently debuted in Colombia, where it operates AmaMagdalena and (soon) AmaMelodia. Other new ships include the newly announced AmaFiora on the Rhine River and the recently christened AmaSintra on the Douro. The AmaRudi, named after AmaWaterways co-founder Rudi Schreiner, will be a sister ship to the double-wide AmaMagna when it debuts in 2027.
Other lines touting new hardware include Amadeus, with Amadeus Amara and Amadeus Aurea (launching 2025 and 2026, respectively); Tauck, with two new ships in 2026 (Serene, sailing the Seine, and Luminere, on the Rhone); Uniworld, with a trio of newbuilds sailing by 2027; Emerald, with two (Emerald Astra on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers in 2026, and Emerald Lumi on the Seine in 2027); and Riviera, with three (Riviera Radiance and Riviera Rose for 2025, and Riviera Resplendence, in 2026). Riverside Luxury Cruises, which launched in 2022 and owns the former Crystal River Cruises fleet, will have all five ships sailing under the Riverside brand by 2028, while Viking will have 26 new ships delivered by 2028.
Meanwhile, Avalon Waterways is in the midst of a full-fleet refresh, updating its ships’ color schemes and decor, while adding a brand-new destination based on travel advisor feedback: Bourdeaux, France. And, looking to the South, the Amazon River will get a new ship from Europe-based CroisiEurope in 2027, and a new ship (Pure Amazon) from luxe tour operator Abercrombie & Kent (this summer).
Amadeus Aurea will launch in 2026.
Credit: 2025 Amadeus River CruisesRiver Cruising as a Year-Round Form of Travel
Several cruise lines at ASTA’s River Cruise Expo mentioned a lengthening of the traditional river cruise season, with AmaWaterways now offering February sailings on the Rhine and Danube rivers, and Emerald also touting a full season of cruising, operating in every month except January.
“[In the future], pre-season … could become peak season,” said Kristin Karst, co-founder and co-owner of AmaWaterways, who mentioned that the combination of low airfare and fewer crowds gives clients a more authentic way to explore port towns. AmaWaterways is also extending its Douro River season into November and December, and planning July sailings for Vietnam and Cambodia. On the other hand, Avalon has its eyes on summer, promoting sailing deals during the warmer months.
Avalon Waterways is in the midst of a full-fleet refresh.
Credit: 2025 Avalon WaterwaysOne Size Does Not Fit All
Marcus Leskovar, executive vice president of family-owned Amadeus River Cruises, urges travel advisors to think of river ships as “floating hotels,” and remember that one size — or ship, or line — does not fit all.
At this point, there is a river boat and themed cruise for every taste, with nearly all lines operating specialty sailings celebrating everything from gastronomy and wine to history, art and culture. For example, AmaWaterways recently established a partnership with Smithsonian Journeys to offer Smithsonian lectures onboard (with no surcharge) and will continue to offer its Soulful Experiences product (focusing on the heritage of Black travelers) with newly added dates for 2025 and 2026.
Uniworld’s S.S. Catherine will host a women-only cruise.
Credit: 2025 Uniworld Boutique River CruisesUniworld’s Palma said the line is also launching golf cruises in Bordeaux and the first women-only cruise from Arles to Lyon, France, featuring burlesque workshops, time at the International Shoe Museum and a pajama party onboard S.S. Catherine.
And pre- and post-cruise extensions are also evolving, she added.
“No one does a one-week river cruise and comes home,” she said, noting a partnership with Golden Eagle Rail that allows clients to bookend cruises with a train journey. “We’ve elevated the extensions. [It’s gone] far beyond offering one or two nights in the city with embarkations and disembarkations.”
Additionally, some lines are offering tiered pricing as a way to attract clients at different price points: Jen Halboth, CEO of Riverside, estimates that about 70% of Riverside’s clients opt for the all-inclusive premium package (which includes excursions).
And the typical river cruiser doesn’t fit into one box, says Palma, noting that “we need to break the stigma about who the average river cruiser is.”
“It’s a lot more active … it’s not just following the lollipop on cobblestone streets,” she said.
It’s a lot more active … it’s not just following the lollipop on cobblestone streets
Torstein Hagen, chairman for Viking, takes a different approach. Viking is committed to serving a specific market (the 55-plus age group), and he makes no apologies about it.
“Our concept of generational travel is grown-ups and their parents,” he said during the expo. “It’s really not for small children; we are very clear on that. We are proud of our ‘no children, no casinos’ [policy]. We have a long list of what we don’t do, but we try to make it very clear what we are all about. We have 80-odd ships that are identical, and you can’t really tell the difference between a ship built in 2012 and one built last year. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. It’s not about the ship — it’s about the destination you go to. That makes it easier for advisors.”
But how many seven- to 10-day holidays can you go on, where you visit multiple capital cities, and where you only have to unpack once? And you’re not constantly getting on another train, or on a coach, to go between the two?
And when it comes to selling to a first-time river cruiser, advisors shouldn’t make it complicated, says Stuart Milan, president of North America for Riviera.
“There’s an element of people seeing river cruising as a really specialized product,” he said. “But how many seven- to 10-day holidays can you go on, where you visit multiple capital cities, and where you only have to unpack once? And you’re not constantly getting on another train, or on a coach, to go between the two? This is one of the nicest ways to explore Europe, so always offer it as an alternative. You’d be surprised at how quickly people would turn to seeing it as an attractive proposition.”
Travel advisors should offer river cruising as an alternative way to explore Europe.
Credit: 2025 Uniworld Boutique River CruisesViking’s Hagen also advises that travel advisors find one brand they like, and then sell it repeatedly.
“River cruising is a great product,” he said. “Think, as a travel advisor, ‘I vow to make sure I go on a product that delivers high quality consistently.’ There’s a wide spectrum of product available. Get them hooked on one brand, and then continue to sell them.”
